Taxi with a toddler

whatlliwear

I just read that you don't actually need a car seat for a toddler in a taxi, you can carry them on your lap once you have the seat belt over you. This can't be right?

foodaholic

whatlliwear wrote: »

I just read that you don't actually need a car seat for a toddler in a taxi, you can carry them on your lap once you have the seat belt over you. This can't be right?

Taxi drivers are exempt from supplying child car seats.

Taxis continue to be exempt from having to carry child car seats or restraints for child passengers despite the introduction of penalty-points for all other drivers.

Legislation in relation to taxi drivers is governed by the European Commission’s (compulsory use of seatbelts and child restraint systems in motor vehicles) regulations 2006, which allows for exemptions.

Infants under three years of age can be carried on a back seat of a taxi by an adult as long as that adult is wearing a seatbelt.

A child who is older than three years of age does not need to be in a car seat if travelling in a taxi, but they must wear a seatbelt and not be in the passenger seat.

Shelli2

whatlliwear wrote: »

I just read that you don't actually need a car seat for a toddler in a taxi, you can carry them on your lap once you have the seat belt over you. This can't be right?

Legally right
Morally wrong

dartboardio

What, do you expect the taxi driver to buy a car seat?

Sure its the same on a plane. A child under 1 or 2 i think it is, doesn't get their own seat

Shelli2

dartboardio wrote: »

What, do you expect the taxi driver to buy a car seat?

Sure its the same on a plane. A child under 1 or 2 i think it is, doesn't get their own seat

A plane is far less likely to be involved in a collision.
I don't see why one car should be exempt from the law, especially when it's a safety concern.
There are plenty of small compact car seat options, you should at least be able to request a taxi with car seat available if ordering in advance.

dori_dormer

Its crazy. Many European countries have car seats in their boots or you order a taxi and specify the seats you want and they bring them with them. Its not that difficult but hey this is Ireland!
The used to be a great taxi company with child car seats in Dublin but I believe its gone now

Heres Johnny

Not a hope should a taxi man be expected to provide child seat. Anyone over the age of 25 was probably never ferried around in a child seat. Just hold children, be grand. You don't get them on buses, trains, teams or planes either.

kastasia

Of course it's not advisable but I don't think it would be practical to have a situation where taxis can't take a child without a seat. Also it's quite a common rule in other cities that taxis are exempt.
I've taken my son in a taxi without a seat twice (well technically three times but two occasions).
The first time we were on holiday in Spain when our son was 4 months old. My husband was out cycling and I was having lunch with a friend when I got a call from my husband who'd just had a cycling accident quite a distance away. Unfortunately he was taken to hospital in a different city and the last i heard was that he was going into surgery for a fractured hip. I didn't have my driving licence (something i sorted out over the next 4 months when he couldn't drive). My friend first offered to drive me the next day but then told me she was too nervous to drive the mountain roads so she drove me to train station a few towns further down the coast (we used car seat) then we took train and finally we took taxi to and from station to hospital. It was legal within city limits not to have car seat. I was nervous, but the other option of taking a bus would have taken a lot longer and i couldn't be sure I'd have enough time to make it back in time for train back. Thankfully my husband was fine though the recovery took quite a long time.
The other time was in Frankfurt. My son was nearly one and we'd gone on a trip on our own. We had a six hour layover in Frankfurt on the way back so i took the opportunity to meet some friends. Took the S Bahn into the city, had a lovely dinner, then headed back to the station to find out that the lovely reliable SBahn was not running for some reason, can't remember what had happened, but when we realised it wasn't going to be sorted any time soon I headed out and got a taxi.
I can think of some more extreme hypothetical scenarios.

PhilOssophy

It is morally wrong on the parent to put their child in that situation. Not the taxi driver

endacl

Shelli2 wrote: »

There are plenty of small compact car seat options, you should at least be able to request a taxi with car seat available if ordering in advance.

You’d be a long time waiting. What taxi driver would bother their hole buying a car seat so they’d have to bother their hole again putting it in and taking it out the odd time somebody asked for it?

‘Sorry, we don’t have one of those available. Why? Because none of or drivers want to bother their hole’.

colm_mcm

You can get portable booster seats that fold up. Got one as a present years ago. Personally I’m not a fan of booster cushions because they offer no head/neck protection, but it has to be better than having them sitting on your knee.

Minier81

I think all you can do is minimise risk. Put a toddler/baby in a sling on your front, facing you, seatbelt between you and them. Keep off motorways, for example in Dublin going airport I'd ask for through town rather than m50. I would to all you reasonably can to avoid taxis.

I can see why it's not practical for drivers to carry seat, different seats for different sizes and weights how many seats to carry etc.

maxsmum

Um. We took our son in a taxi and on transfer buses without a car seat here and abroad a few times. I'd say less than 10 overall. It wasn't ideal but I'm not losing any sleep over it. I think adherence to 100% of being a perfect parent is pretty much unattainable. We do our best.

PhilOssophy

PhilOssophy wrote: »

It is morally wrong on the parent to put their child in that situation. Not the taxi driver

Morally wrong? Get over yourself. Occasionally bringing a child in a taxi without a car seat is no harm whatsoever. I went home from school regularly in the back of a van and many other places too. People are just pc mad nowadays.

It would also be a totally unreasonable expectation for taxis to have child seats.

PhilOssophy

Harmoni Scary Mouthful wrote: »

Morally wrong? Get over yourself. Occasionally bringing a child in a taxi without a car seat is no harm whatsoever. I went home from school regularly in the back of a van and many other places too. People are just pc mad nowadays.

It would also be a totally unreasonable expectation for taxis to have child seats.

We all went many places when we were kids in the back of vans, etc. Back in 70's-80's - doesn't mean it is right to do it now. Probably weren't wearing seat belts either, is that OK today too?
I didn't say anything about a taxi having child seats if you read again. It is a parent's job.

Feisar

Harmoni Scary Mouthful wrote: »

Morally wrong? Get over yourself. Occasionally bringing a child in a taxi without a car seat is no harm whatsoever. I went home from school regularly in the back of a van and many other places too. People are just pc mad nowadays.

It would also be a totally unreasonable expectation for taxis to have child seats.

Two cars collide doing the relatively slow speed of 50 KMPH each. That's a 100 KMPH impact. Occasionally is grand until there is a crash.

raxy

I love the extremes of posts here (& other places lately). If you express any opinion your jumped on, no matter which way you go.
To suggest it's morally wrong to bring your kids in a taxi is ridiculously over the top. Sometimes you are limited in your options, if that means taking a taxi without a child seat so be it. It's not ideal but it's 1 journey in 1000?
Do you really think the 1 time you get stuck out without any other option is the time you'll end up having that crash?
I've driven for over 20 years & had 1 crash at that tine. The odds of the occasional time you might take a taxi without a child seat are so slim they are irrelevant. Obviously if possible don't but if you have to don't worry about it & avoid the keyboard warriors saying anything else. The law allows it for a reason!!
If your worried you can take your own, I've don't that before but had to go without.

dartboardio

If I was a taxi driver and someone expected me to have a car seat for one in every whatever amount of customers that has a child/baby with them I'd laugh..

No way should a taxi man/woman have to front the cost to buy a car seat to have handy for when someone doesn't want to hold the child on their lap

What is wrong with carrying the child in your arms like everyone else in the world does?

GrumpyMe

Here's a novel idea - if you want to travel in a taxi and you want to bring your child, bring a child seat.

Mellor

Harmoni Scary Mouthful wrote: »

Morally wrong? Get over yourself.

I think you are missing context. I read it as a was response to the posts above.

Shelli2 wrote: »

Legally right
Morally wrong

I assume your morally wrong jib is aimed at the parents for taking taxis without child seats.
I'm not sure that's really fair tbh.

Quantum Erasure

I'm sure you can supply you're own

s1ippy

What if you have three babies? Can one baby sit on the other one's lap? Is stacking permitted?

marcusgunn

Simple really. Don't get in a taxi with your toddler so if you have concerns. Or carry around a booster seat at all times

dartboardio

Then that's tough luck on you, have booster seats ready at your own expense. Not the taxi driver.

SixtaWalthers

I would prefer the backseat. According to experts, it is always better to use backseat to carry your baby with you. I am not sure about the legal status of this action for taxi drivers.